Gwyneth Paltrow's "Goop"

[nakji]

I used to be able to comfortably ignore the existence of Gwyneth Paltrow. Yeah, she'd appear in the odd movie from time to time (ones which I usually enjoyed), but as long as I stayed away from tabloids and E!, I didn't really spend a lot of time listening to her thoughts on food. In 2008, she appeared in that series about touring Spain with Mario Batali, and I figured it was a kind of celebrity stunt. Wasn't she a vegan? What about the jamon Iberico? I never watched it.

This week, I was reading through Vogue - something I do from time to time to see what Jeffrey Steingarten is up to. Turns out he's interviewing Gwyneth Paltrow about her lifestyle and food site, "GOOP". Where she's interviewing Jamie Oliver, showing people how to make a basic vinaigrette in a jam jar, and, uh, de-toxing with Chinese medicine cleanses. But is she bringing anything new to the table, so to speak? Anyone out there following what she has to say?

[percival]

Never heard of Goop, but thanks for the heads up. It seems like a perfectly harmless lifestyle blog from a celebrity who could be doing far less productive things with her time. Post-partem dipression, where to eat and stay at in SF... Perfectly normal blogger material. As for the cook book: ridiculous. She's a vegetarian, no? Two pizza ovens, yet she claims that gluten is bad for you? Even though Buddhist monks, with much longer life spans than Americans, have lived off the stuff for centuries? And yet adores french fries, which have been proven to contain carcinogens?

The typical whims of the bourgois. Will she sell? Sure. Will it matter? Not really.

[MaxH]

...Post-partem dipression, where to eat and stay at in SF... Perfectly normal blogger material. As for the cook book: ridiculous. She's a vegetarian, no? Two pizza ovens, yet she claims that gluten is bad for you? Even though Buddhist monks, with much longer life spans than Americans, have lived off the stuff for centuries? And yet adores french fries, which have been proven to contain carcinogens?

The typical whims of the bourgois. Will she sell? Sure. Will it matter? Not really.

Thank you, percival, both for this summation and for a trenchant concision in words that few of us achieve. And welcome to eGullet.

(It recalls another penetrating appraisal I clipped from a 1990s music magazine. Pop media stars trying to out-do each other in affecting diversity of talents. Singers having literary books ghostwritten, that sort of thing. Article was laid out graphically, I recall something like a star chart. Title: "A galaxy of dilettantes.")

[prasantrin]

GOOP has been around for two years or so and has already been discussed to death elsewhere. That it is only being mentioned on eG now tells me that no, she will never be a mainstream food personality. And no, most people will never really care what she has to say about anything.

[Dakki]

My feeling precisely.

She's an actress, not a Michelin three-star chef. I'm not saying it's impossible for some actor/musician/whatever to become an authority on something else, but celebrities have to earn credibility before they become, well, credible.

[Foodietopo]

American actors and actress might not be on food TV show everyday, but it's not the case in Japan. I see actors on TV talking about food almost everyday. The members of the group SMAP all wrote a bunch of cooking books.

Has anybody seen Miyuki Hatoyama cooking book? The wife of the former Primer Minister of Japan published a super swanky book just before her husband resigned. I saw the English version of her book about a week after her husband left politic. I guess stars are not the only one trying to cash out on food.

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2010/06/03/hatoyama-move-leaves-first-lady-cookbook-out-of-date-before-release/

[Dakki]

The members of the group SMAP all wrote a bunch of cooking books.

Hahahahahahahaha!

Sample recipe?

[Foodietopo]

The show is on Monday night at 10 PM, I've never watched it, but I will try to watch it Monday night.

This is the official website from the show

http://www.fujitv.co.jp/smapsmap/index.html

And a wiki page on the show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMAP%C3%97SMAP

Here, I found some info on Bistro Smap and there celebrity guest.

http://www.almostjapanese.com/bistro-smap-to-welcome-pitt-and-tarantino

The Gwyneth Paltrow trip to Spain is the format of almost every TV show in Japan. My favourite Saturday morning TV show has a different star every week taking a TV crew to his favourite restaurants.

[nakji]

Never heard of Goop, but thanks for the heads up. It seems like a perfectly harmless lifestyle blog from a celebrity who could be doing far less productive things with her time. Post-partem dipression, where to eat and stay at in SF... Perfectly normal blogger material. As for the cook book: ridiculous. She's a vegetarian, no? Two pizza ovens, yet she claims that gluten is bad for you? Even though Buddhist monks, with much longer life spans than Americans, have lived off the stuff for centuries? And yet adores french fries, which have been proven to contain carcinogens?

The typical whims of the bourgois. Will she sell? Sure. Will it matter? Not really.

Is she selling something other than her point of view? I didn't read more than a few issues. I can just see a Gwyneth Paltrow line of ...pizza ovens? Kitchen towels? Vegan protein substitutes?

[Peter the eater]

I like the actor but have no opinion on the food personality.

Why Goop? Is Olive Oil her middle name (like the Popeye chick) and GOOP are her initials?

[Aloha Steve]

I have subscribed to the weekly email Goop letter for about 18 months.

When it come to food recipes, restaurant recommendations or her thoughts on anything eatable I've gotten maybe 10 bits

of info that I've copied and pasted. She was a vegan but no longer as of late.

She also does whole lot of self-help stuff which would not make a dent on my neuroses should I

were to try the advice

She also talks about other goods and services, probably is biased about some if they are her friends. With her wealth and that of her Rock Superstar husband, I don't think she is making any money off the endorsements

If one has less than a minute to look thru the weekly email to see if there is anything that catches your eye, then subscribe.

And I would be remiss not to mention she is a HOTTIE with brains.

Edited September 5, 2010 by Aloha Steve (log)

[RobertCollins]

Freely taking the risk to expose my unworldliness, who is Gwyneth Paltrow?

[MaxH]

Freely taking the risk to expose my unworldliness, who is Gwyneth Paltrow?

I have to salute the integrity of anyone today making such confession online (instead of hiding an ignorance by hastily checking Wikipedia or Google, or even worse, holding forth authoritatively with whatever factoids they just looked up). Not all effects of having Wikipedia and Google are positive.

[Algie]

Thanks for tip on goop, it was an interesting if a little flowery site. (yes, I know, not a word) I live in the Hamptons and I haven't noticed her doing any restaurant activity besides eating.

[Ce'nedra]

She comes across as a bit pretentious for my liking (maybe that's her media personality taking over).

Did anybody read the article where Anthony Bourdain blasted her food show? Was hilarious.

[Mjx]

Thanks for tip on goop, it was an interesting if a little flowery site. (yes, I know, not a word). . .

Yes it is (although the usage I've heard most would involve 'pretentious', rather than 'elegant' in the definition )! And it's nice to see it used, it's so apposite!

[Jenni]

Ha, when I saw the title of this thread I thought "Wow, someone really doesn't like Gwyneth Paltrow's cooking!", and then I wondered why Gwyneth Paltrow was cooking....and then I actually read the thread.

I'm still laughing though, can't imagine her cooking at all!

[GlorifiedRice]

Ha, when I saw the title of this thread I thought "Wow, someone really doesn't like Gwyneth Paltrow's cooking!", and then I wondered why Gwyneth Paltrow was cooking....and then I actually read the thread.

I'm still laughing though, can't imagine her cooking at all!

She has just released her cookbook It's All Good, which boast recipes free from coffee, alcohol, dairy, sugar, shellfish, wheat, meat, and soy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2294276/Gwyneth-Paltrow-claims-people-finally-like-wary-won-Oscar-aged-26.html

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Also free of fun?